Kuwait Program Visiting Scholar Fellowship

Who It's For: Senior, policy-oriented scholars and faculty from Kuwait

Fellowship Description: The Kuwait Program Visiting Scholar Fellowship at the Middle East Initiative brings senior policy-oriented scholars to campus for one semester or one academic year, depending on their availability, to conduct a study group or pursue an independent research project on a critical public policy area relevant to Kuwait and the Gulf region. Visiting Scholars receive a stipend, travel support, and access to Harvard's libraries and other resources. This fellowship supports the Kuwait Program's broader objective of advancing evidence-based, rigorously scientific solutions to public policy challenges facing the State of Kuwait, the Gulf region, and the world.

Applicants may propose one of the following activities:

- Lead a Study Group: An advanced academic seminar for Harvard students, comprising four to seven sessions, on a topic of the scholar's choosing. Student participants would be selected through a competitive application process and expected to attend regularly. Study group proceedings may be developed in to a Kuwait Program report published by the Middle East Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School.

- Conduct a Research Project: An independent research project related to the scholar's area of expertise, ideally in collaboration with a Harvard faculty member. The project should ultimately culminate in a significant scholarly output, such as a book, edited volume, or paper to be published by the Middle East Initiative under the Kuwait Program at the Harvard Kennedy School, or a peer-reviewed open-access journal article.

Stipend: $10,000/month

Eligibility: The Kuwait Program Research Fellowship is designed to attract the most accomplished senior policy-oriented scholars and faculty from Kuwait. Applicants must be from Kuwait, currently residing and working in Kuwait, or formally affiliated with a Kuwait-based academic or research institution.

Priority Research Areas: Priority will be given to applicants whose proposals center one or more of the following priority policy areas as they relate to the State of Kuwait and the Gulf region: health, education, energy, environment, water and food security, and digital transformation and artificial intelligence.

Application Requirements: All applicants must submit the following materials:

CV/Resume: This should include all degrees earned (with dates), as well as expected dates of completion for any degrees currently in progress. 

Study Group or Research Project Proposal (3-5 pages): Describe the project you intend to pursue when in residence at the Harvard Kennedy School. 

Study Group Proposals should include:
- Title and description that summarizes what overall topic you’d like to explore over the course of the sessions, with background and context into the topic and key areas of interest/relevance to HKS students
- Proposed outline of subtopics organized by session, and total number of sessions (between four and seven suggested)
- Proposed/suggested examples of reading assignments for each session

Research Project Proposals should include:
- The key questions, challenges, or gaps that your project aims to address, respond to, or build upon.
- Timeline outlining the stages you anticipate for completing and publishing the proposed research.
- Names of any Harvard faculty members with whom you would like to collaborate, if selected, and explain how their work is relevant to your research.
- Any other potential funding sources you are pursuing or may pursue.

Contact information for 3 recommenders: Please note that you are responsible for ensuring that your recommenders submit their recommendations. MEI ordinarily will not contact delinquent recommenders. 

Writing Sample (fewer than 50 pages, English language only):

- Must include an abstract of 300 words or less 
- Will preferably be single-authored 
- Can be either published or unpublished 
- Must be composed without the use of generative AI.
- Examples include: policy brief, journal article, book chapter, dissertation chapter, or white paper you have produced in your field. 

For further questions, please contact Laura Boehm, MEI Program Coordinator for Fellowships and Research Administration (laura_boehm@hks.harvard.edu).

The Kuwait Program at Harvard Kennedy School is made possible through funding from the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS).